Title #1 : An Evening in India (on South Clarkson)
Title #2 : Indian Stuffed Eggplant

Posted by & filed under Healthy, Side Dish, Vegetarian.

This week I had the pleasure of spending time in the kitchen with my friend, Sarah.  We had settled on whipping up some Indian fare for her family so I made my way over to her home.  Along the way I had to switch gears in terms of the recipe I had had in mind.  It turns out okra isn’t exactly available in Colorado in March.  The more you know…Thankfully I used my smart phone and a generous selection of produce at the local Whole Foods to come up with the refined Indian Stuffed Eggplant recipe–a rendition of AllRecipe’s version.

Before I begin I want to mention that when I arrived at the house Sarah had already prepared her delicious lamb curry dish–paired with white rice this was simply delectable.  I will have to get this recipe from her eventually but for now I will just tempt you with [...]

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St. Patty’s Day Shepherd’s Pie

Posted by & filed under Meat.

St. Patrick’s Day began like any other beautiful, however windy, Saturday in Colorado.  Little did I know that my not-so-Irish blood  would make it difficult for me to keep up with the day’s jovial activities.  Alas, I survived but, I cannot say the same for this Shepherd’s Pie.  There wasn’t a bite left after the picnic and no, I wouldn’t chalk that up to the wind at City Park.  I’ll blame the wind for the broken volleyball net, thank you.

 

  • 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 5 carrots, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup
  • 3/4 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a [...]
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Cornish Hen Delight

Posted by & filed under Meat, Poultry.

Anytime I decide to play around with a new protein I cannot help but become a bit excited and nervous.  Luckily, having had cornish hen once before I wasn’t too afraid that it would come out poorly.  We just had to do it right!

Ingredients:

  • 4 Cornish game hens
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 24 cloves garlic–the larger the cloves the better!
  • 1/3 cup white wine–we used a very affordable pinot grigio
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish

Forewarning–Defrost! I had picked up the ingredients around 4pm so the hens were placed, wrapped, in cold water in a slow running sink around 4:45.  The fellow at the grocery store said that a lb of hen typically takes an hour under such conditions to defrost on its own.  Each hen was 22 oz so I estimated about 1 1/2 hours for the whole process.  Unfortunately, even [...]

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Greek Style Pizza

Posted by & filed under Vegetarian.

Having been swooned by a “Greek Style Pasta” recipe which included some of my favorites, I rushed to my local Trader Joe’s after work to pick up the supplies. Then I hit the pizza crust section and decided to turn it into a pizza dish. You’ll need the following:

1 bag prepared pizza dough (or make your own, I’m not that confident in the kitchen quite yet). (We used TJ’s herb and garlic)

1 container low fat feta cheese

1 jar marinated artichokes

1 can black olives

1 jar sundried tomatoes packed in oil

1/4 red onion, sliced

1.5 c fresh spinach, washed and cooked until wilted (you could also use a package of frozen spinach)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Let the pizza dough sit out in room temperature x 15 minutes. After that time, flour your work surface and work some flour into the dough, rolling it out to the desired size.

3. Caramelize red [...]

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Roasted Chicken Friday

Posted by & filed under Meat, Poultry.

I’ve been wanting to attempt a whole roasted chicken for a while now. Having come across a 4.6 lb whole chicken at my local Trader Joe’s for $5.99 seemed like divine intervention. I needed to stop planning to try making a whole roasted chicken, and just do it. I found a recipe that involved oranges which worked out fabulously since citrus is in season right now.

Herb Roasted Chicken with Oranges:

  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 (4 pound) whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1 tablespoon sized pieces
  • 2 navel oranges, halved
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 sprigs fresh sage
  • 3 carrots peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
  • 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the chicken broth into a small roasting pan, and set aside.
  2. Wash and slice the vegetables. Place them sporadically around the roasting pan [...]
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Korean Steak and Veggies

Posted by & filed under Meat.

A lazy Sunday comprised of tying loose ends, a visit to the gym, and some relaxation.  I decided I wanted to introduce Nate to something a little different that I’d only had in restaurants. This meal makes four hearty servings.  Thankfully, there were only two of us eating tonight so tomorrow night will be leftover village!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons  soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
5 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
1.4 lb flank steak
1 bunch asparagus, washed and bottoms snapped/removed
6 baby portabello mushrooms
1 bunch of green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

At least two hours to an evening before mix the steak cuts with the garlic, ginger, 2 tsp sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce together to marinate.

Using a wok or a different large pan throw all the cleaned veggies together, topping [...]

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“No Eggs? No Achoives? Who Ya Kidding!” Shrimp Caesar Salad

Posted by & filed under Healthy, Salad, Seafood.

I headed over to my friends’ to catch the 49ers vs. Giant’s game on Sunday night.  I was unable to resist the urge of bringing a prepared dish.  My girlfriend, the host Sara, traditionally loves the food I make and I enjoy feeding the goof.  It is a very mutually beneficial relationship.

The dish is pretty large and split appropriately gives 5 people plenty of servings.

Stuffs & How You Do This

Throw all this stuff together for the dressing: 4 TBS light Mayo/4 TBS lemon juice/4 tsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese/1 tsp freshly ground pepper/1/2 tsp Sriracha/1/2 tsp Worcestershie sauce/5-6 gloves garlic (minced)

Now, for the salad you will need: bag of fat-free seasoned croutons/4 TBS grated fresh Parmesan cheese/chopped head of iceberg lettuce/12-16 chives (chopped)

Since I was not doing this cooking at home and planned on saving it a few hours later I kept the salad, dressing and shrimp separated.  To prepare [...]

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies

Posted by & filed under Dessert.

‘ello all. figured i’d do a dessert/sweet treat for my first contribution to this lovely blog. i made these cookies after a rough day on the job of managing children’s emotions and impulses. (i’m a counselor). as a means of managing my own emotions (but not my impulses), i decided to make a recipe i found in a magazine while at the gym. enjoy!

Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
2.5 c white whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c unsalted, softened butter (1 stick)
2/3 c sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. lemon zest
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP poppy seeds

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat butter and sugar together. Then beat in egg, lemon zest and juice until fluffy. Beat in flour mixture slowly in batches until blended. Add poppy seeds; stir to combine.
3. Divide [...]

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Chia Fresca

Posted by & filed under Healthy.

Hello all! This past winter break I discovered the wonder that are chia seeds. These seeds are said to have sustained aztec warriors. Not sure if that is true, but what I do know that they are filled with omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, fiber, protein, and antioxidants. Saying that they taste delicious in what is described as an all natural energy drink made by tribes indigenous to the southwest and Mexico. For my recipe I substitute sugar with agave nectar because it doesn’t spike your blood sugar.

1. Pour 1 Tbsp of Chia seeds into a glass or bottle (I use an old kombucha bottle so I can take it on the go and drink it throughout the day) add 10 ounces of water. Shake or stir periodically for 10 minutes to make sure the seeds do not clump.

2. Cut a sliver of a lime/lemon and squeeze the juice into the drink. [...]

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Kale Chips

Posted by & filed under Side Dish, Vegan, Vegetarian.

These are a healthy snack that are super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of kale removed from the stem and washed.

Olive Oil

Salt

Fresh cracked pepper

garlic powder

 

preheat oven to 350 and:

1. Cut the Kale into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.

2. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over all the pieces of Kale. Use the olive oil sparingly you just want it coated lightly.

3. Place the pieces of kale on baking sheets. Make sure the baking sheets are coated in a cooking spray or put a dab of olive oil on and spread it around with a paper towel. This is to just make sure the kale does not stick to the sheets.

4. Dust the kale with black pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on them because you do not [...]

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